Methodological issues in economic evaluation of early intervention programs

The application of various techniques of economic evaluation to early intervention has attracted considerable attention from policy makers, practitioners, and researchers interested in programs that seek to improve the development of infant and young children. Economic evaluation has made some outstanding contributions to our knowledge of early intervention. However, there is also some confusion regarding the goals, limitations, and methods of economic evaluation, resulting in errors in the conduct and interpretation of economic studies. This paper seeks to reduce this confusion by providing an overview of economic evaluation and reviewing three of the best-known examples. It is hoped that researchers will use the information presented here to improve economic evaluations through review and criticism and to design research on early intervention practice and efficacy that will improve the basic data on which economic evaluations rely.     

Methodological considerations in research on the prevalence of child sexual abuse

Recent studies with nonclinical populations have yielded widely varying estimates of the prevalence of child sexual abuse. This paper focuses on four representative studies, describing how differences in methodology and sample characteristics may contribute to the variation in prevalence rates. Two aspects of data collection appear to be the most significant factors accounting for discrepant findings. First, the use of face-to-face interviews is associated with much higher prevalence rates than the use of self-administered questionnaires. Second, higher prevalence rates are reported in studies that use multiple questions to ask about specific types of abusive sexual behavior. Variation in the age range of subjects is an additional factor that may also have an effect on prevalence rates. The evidence reviewed points to several aspects of methodology and sample characteristics that do not seem to influence prevalence findings. These are the use of random sampling techniques, the area of the country in which the study is conducted, the educational level of subjects, and the ethnic composition of the sample.     

School psychologists' perceptions regarding the practice of identifying reading disabilities: Cognitive assessment and response to intervention considerations

This study surveyed a national sample of school psychologists with respect to the identification of reading disabilities (RD). It covers school psychologists' opinions regarding perceived benefits of the use of cognitive assessment in RD identification, both within and outside of an IQ–achievement discrepancy model. The survey also solicited opinions about the nature of RD, particularly conceptions of general slow learners (and readers) versus those evidencing a discrepancy. Results related to school psychologists' concerns about job security, should IQ testing be reduced, are presented. Furthermore, the perceived benefits of a Response to Intervention (RTI) model, how school psychologists see themselves contributing to an RTI effort, as well as possible hurdles to RTI implementation are covered. Measurement of these perceptions may be beneficial in informing current and future service delivery models for RD identification as well as possible training needs of currently practicing school psychologists. Finally, the current work represents an effort to measure assessment acceptability for RD identification techniques. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Research models for the evaluation of interim programs

Basic evaluation research of interim programs conducted to date has employed three of four conceptual models. In the present article, the authors (1) identify these four conceptual models, (2) briefly outline significant studies that have been conducted using three of them, and (3) explore the possible advantages of one model which has not been used or reported in the literature of higher education. It is hoped that some insight into the possible ways to evaluate interim programs was provided, that further thought about objective evaluation programs was initiated, and that creative ventures into areas not yet researched were stimulated.     

Students' evaluation of CALL software programs

Although several studies have explored the attitudes of teachers and students towards CALL, there has been little research regarding students' insights and impressions. We agree with Kessler and Plakans (2001, p. 15) when they state that in the process of evaluating materials ‘learners must be included, as they are also experts of their learning as well as the benefactors of well‐developed materials’. With this in mind, we undertook a study in which students were given the opportunity to express their opinions about the software they used in the multimedia laboratory. The sample was made up of 59 undergraduates who completed a questionnaire. The conclusion to be drawn is that students clearly see software programs as a complementary tool in the foreign language classroom.Évaluation par les étudiants des programmes d'informatique. Bien que plusieurs études aient exploré les attitudes des enseignants et des enseignés envers le CALL, il y a eu peu de recherches sur les vues et impressions des étudiants. Nous sommes d'accord avec Kessler et Paklans (2001, p. 15) quand ils déclarent que dans le processus d'évaluation des documents les étudiants doivent être inclus car ils sont aussi experts de leur apprentissage aussi bien que les bénéficiaires de documents bien conçus! Dans cet esprit nous avons entrepris une étude dans laquelle les étudiants ont eu l'occasion d'exprimer leurs opinions sur le logiciel qu'ils utilisent dans le laboratoire multimédia. L'échantillon était constitué de 59 « undergraduates » qui ont rempli un questionnaire. La conclusion à en tirer est que les étudiants voient clairement ces logiciels comme un outil complémentaire dans la classe des langues étrangères.Evaluation von CALL Software Programmen durch Studenten. Obwohl verschiedene Studien die Einstellungen von Lehrern/Dozenten und Schülern/Studenten dem CALL-Programm gegenüber untersucht haben, ist bislang wenig über die Eindrücke und Erlebnisse der Schüler und Studenten geforscht worden. Wir stimmen mit Kessler und Plakans (2001, S 15) überein, wenn sie behaupten, dass man im Prozess der Evaluierung des Materials 'die Lerner einbeziehen sollte, da sie einerseits Experten ihres eigenen Lernprozesses sind und andererseits von gut entwickelten Materialien profitieren'. Dies berücksichtigend führten wir eine Studie durch, in der den Studenten die Gelegenheit gegeben wurde, ihre Meinungen über die Software, die sie im Multimedia-Labor nutzten, darzulegen. Die Stichprobe bestand aus 59 Studenten, die einen Fragebogen ausfüllten. Die Schlussfolgerung war, dass Studenten Softwareprogramme eindeutig als ergänzendes Werkzeug im Fremdsprachenunterricht betrachten.     

The evaluation of faculty development programs

This article reviews literature pertinent to the evaluation of faculty development programs and presents data from several studies conducted at two institutions. These data were consistent with those previously reported in that faculty participants consistently expressed satisfaction with development services. In addition, one study found that most faculty members voluntarily took some action to improve their instructional effectiveness, though only a minority pursued these efforts in depth. Volunteers who worked intensively with a faculty development consultant improved more on objective measures of effectiveness than did those who were only superficially involved in improvement efforts; those who received no consultative assistance failed to improve significantly. Evidence from a final study provided a control for faculty motivation and led to the conclusion that improvement was contingent both on faculty desire to improve and on the availability of professional assistance.     

Comprehensive evaluation model: A tool for the evaluation of nontraditional educational programs

The Comprehensive Evaluation Model is a tool which can be used for the evaluation of nontraditional programs. This Model is useful in helping an educator address issues related to program quality, cost-effectiveness and program improvement. The Model is utilization focused, that is, in applying the Model one assesses who needs evaluative information, and for what purpose. There are four levels of program effects which the evaluator can choose to evaluate. The levels are: 1) participant reaction, 2) participant learning, 3) participant transfer of learning, and 4) organizational impact of the program.     

Use of the token economy system to intervene on a school-wide level

Many writers have suggested that professionals dealing with psychological problems in school settings need to consider procedures for consulting on a system level, rather than on an individual or a group level. In this report, a token economy system was implemented for all 459 students in a K-6 elementary school. Managing an intervention program at the system level required comprehensive procedures for staff training and program modification. The results showed a major decrease in classroom disruptions and a decrease in negative teacher interactions during the token economy system compared with baseline data. Data analysis the following summer on system-wide variables demonstrated that the number of suspended students and number of days of suspension decreased, that the rate of gain on achievement tests in reading and mathematics increased compared with the yearly rates suggested by test scores the previous year, and that the teacher turnover rate decreased. Several variables considered necessary for the effective implementation of the program were discussed.     

Priorities for evaluation of nontraditional degree programs

The request to evaluate a nontraditional degree program sounds simple enough. But what does it mean “to evaluate the program?” This article identifies twelve major areas seeming to require evaluative attention according to the perspectives of a number of different groups of people. In addition to identifying these areas, the study suggested priorities for the areas in terms of their long-term, overall importance in a complete evaluation plan and their immediate or short-term importance in the early stages of program implementation.     

Issues in quality education and the evaluation of nontraditional graduate programs

The traditional hallmarks of quality graduate education may be few but they are powerful. Graduate schools are seen by most academics as fixed entities with no viable alternatives. Accreditation associations, while claiming flexibility, often represent these traditional interests. Ultimately, few institutions, including the traditional, view accreditation with enthusiasm. Is accreditation worth the effort for nontraditional graduate institutions? Despite the weaknesses of the process, nontraditional graduate programs should seek full accreditation. Recognition is likely if, among other suggestions, nontraditional programs don't overpromise and do identify their program design with conceptual clarity.     

Integrating quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods to compare two teacher inservice training programs

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation procedures were used to compare two physical-science teacher inservice training programs. The two programs followed the master teacher training model espoused by NSF but used different types of master teachers and types of activities. The two evaluation procedures produced different results and together they provided a much clearer picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the two programs. Using only one approach or the other would have substantially altered the conclusions.     

开放教育试点课题研究应注意的六个问题

“中央广播电视大学人才培养模式改革和开放教育试点”是一项以课题研究形式开展的现代远程教育工程试点项目。目前课题研究的内容、目标、任务、阶段还不很明确。如何进行课题的分级管理、项目的组织申报、研究人员的培养等是当前及今后一段时间需要解决的问题。     

论解释学对教育研究的方法论意义

解释学主要是指关于文本的意义理解与解释的理论和学问,它的方法论意蕴主要包括视域融合促成新意义的生成、超越文本促成新思想的发明、主体间性的关系是视域融合的必要前提、解释学循环是个体认识发展的重要机制、文本意义的增益需求理解和解释、彼此共识的达成依赖于对话与互动、一切的理解建基于个人的历史经验.解释学方法论对教育研究的启示...